A Family Pattern

        We definitely have some patterns going on in our family, some good and some bad. High cholesterol, back problems, male pattern baldness, musicianship, church going folk, and chicken legs (Bob and I know about this one) to name a few. But one pattern I picked up on while doing family history is we tend to be a family of clerks !! In todays world, we would probably call them bookkeepers, bankers, accountants, and the like. We are numbers people, and we like things to balance!

I actually first noticed this pattern while researching my Irish ancestors who came to the US around 1850. And let me tell you, the pattern I saw was anything but subtle. It almost shouted at me from the census page. And once I noticed it, I couldn’t unsee it. This Reilly family easily led the way when it came to “clerking.” 

The 1855 NY census in Brooklyn - yes, Reilly is spelled Riley - but it is them.

My 3rd and 2nd G-grandfathers show their "clerk" profession. 

The pattern started with John Wesley Reilly (my 3rd G-grandfather). I learned that he was a Clerk of Petty Sessions in Cavan County Ireland, which was similar to a small claims court. I’m not sure of the timeframe, but probably between 1825 and 1850! He and his son John Mervyn Reilly are shown in the 1855 New York State census above (in Brooklyn) as clerks. This was 2-3 years after they immigrated from Ireland.

John (my 2x g-grandfather) and his four brothers were all clerks during their working lives. John and William worked for the same company in New York and Cincinnati, the R. G. Dun & Co (Robert Graham Dun). It was a mercantile agency, which gathered and reported information about businesses across the country. This company later became Dun and Bradstreet, the world-known credit reporting agency for businesses. Robert and Alexander Reilly worked in Detroit, and Michael, who remained in Ireland, was first a trade clerk.

Robert Graham Dun - not my ancestor, but the person my ancestor worked for

I will write more about them another day, but a thought occurred to me as I was developing this post. What was it like to be a clerk in the 1850’s in a large city. Remember, this was before electricity, typewriters, or even ball point pens were invented. For the R. G. Dun employees, the telegraph was the primary communication of the day.  What did they write with and on, what kind of lighting was even available for them, how did they dress? I obviously needed to do research on this topic, and here are some of things  I learned.

Clerks in the 1850’s had to possess two main skills for writing, legibility and speed. They use steel pen nibs (points) that are fitted into wooden holders, and the nib was dipped into the inkwell. The typical ink they used was “iron gall ink” which was made from iron salts and oak galls. (Wikipedia has an excellent article on the process). In order to dry the ink quickly, clerks kept a box filled with fine sand or powdered fish bones to sprinkle over the wet ink to dry it instantly. Interestingly, the ink-stained finger of a clerk was a true mark of their profession. It was a bluish-black callus that never washed away. 

example of a steel nib

Having good light to work in was a constant battle. Desks were almost always pushed directly against windows. Clerks often worked at standing desks to keep their backs straight and take advantage of the natural light. They were often “chasing the sunlight.” There was also coal gas lighting in some places, but that light flickered and was smelly too. Many offices used Argand lamps which burned whale or lard oil.

An example of an Argand table lamp

The ledger leather-bound books that were used were heavy and large, and could weigh up to 20 pounds. A clerk would spend many hours posting entries from “daybooks” into these formal permanent records. Put this all together, and you get a mixed aroma of leather and paper, the metallic smell of ink, and sulphur from the gas lamps, the wool suit coats they wore, plus what ever smells were entering the building from open windows. 

An example of R. G. Dun & Co ledger

The manner in which clerks presented themselves was most important. They needed to “dress the part” to show they were trustworthy to handle a company’s ledgers. They would always wear a long wool coat of a dark color, and would wear it no matter the temperature. They would never work in their shirt sleeves. They wore a stiff high collar and a cravat (scarf). Then a vest was worn under the coat. A pocket watch was an essential part of the wardrobe. Trousers were used with suspenders. And the shoes were usually low leather boots, polished daily. Some clerk work “sleeve protectors” made of black linen that protected the cuffs of their coats from ink and rubbing on the rough paper ledgers. 

frock coat look in 1850's

So this is a taste of what it was like to dress and work every day as a clerk in the 1850’s in a city. It was tedious, both in body and brain, but it was a job the Reilly brothers seemed to embrace. It showed that they were people who valued their education and their opportunity in America, and wanted to make the most of this life here.  I find it fascinating that they managed to prosper as quickly as they did in cities that were new to them. In some ways, 175 years ago seems so long ago, but in other ways it seems like yesterday. What will people 100 years from now think of us, and how we did what we did with the seemingly archaic tools we use today.